WO2011124594A1 - Nanoparticle antireflection layer - Google Patents
Nanoparticle antireflection layer Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2011124594A1 WO2011124594A1 PCT/EP2011/055323 EP2011055323W WO2011124594A1 WO 2011124594 A1 WO2011124594 A1 WO 2011124594A1 EP 2011055323 W EP2011055323 W EP 2011055323W WO 2011124594 A1 WO2011124594 A1 WO 2011124594A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- nanoparticles
- antireflection layer
- thin
- layer
- layer according
- Prior art date
Links
- 239000002105 nanoparticle Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 123
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 34
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 19
- 230000005693 optoelectronics Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 claims description 41
- 229910052581 Si3N4 Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 28
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims description 15
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 12
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 12
- -1 Ti305 Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 11
- 229910045601 alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000000956 alloy Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000002082 metal nanoparticle Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910052709 silver Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910052737 gold Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910044991 metal oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 6
- 150000004706 metal oxides Chemical class 0.000 claims description 6
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 claims description 5
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- BOTDANWDWHJENH-UHFFFAOYSA-N Tetraethyl orthosilicate Chemical compound CCO[Si](OCC)(OCC)OCC BOTDANWDWHJENH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000006117 anti-reflective coating Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000012239 silicon dioxide Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- HQVNEWCFYHHQES-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon nitride Chemical compound N12[Si]34N5[Si]62N3[Si]51N64 HQVNEWCFYHHQES-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 87
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 54
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 41
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 38
- 239000011295 pitch Substances 0.000 description 20
- 125000006850 spacer group Chemical group 0.000 description 19
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 15
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 15
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 15
- 229910021419 crystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 13
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 12
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 11
- 238000002834 transmittance Methods 0.000 description 11
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 8
- 229910021417 amorphous silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 5
- 239000010931 gold Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000005543 nano-size silicon particle Substances 0.000 description 5
- FOIXSVOLVBLSDH-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silver ion Chemical compound [Ag+] FOIXSVOLVBLSDH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000002161 passivation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000003595 spectral effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 3
- 238000000411 transmission spectrum Methods 0.000 description 3
- BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silver Chemical compound [Ag] BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003667 anti-reflective effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000007641 inkjet printing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001459 lithography Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002086 nanomaterial Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004332 silver Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000010944 silver (metal) Substances 0.000 description 2
- YBNMDCCMCLUHBL-UHFFFAOYSA-N (2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) 4-pyren-1-ylbutanoate Chemical compound C=1C=C(C2=C34)C=CC3=CC=CC4=CC=C2C=1CCCC(=O)ON1C(=O)CCC1=O YBNMDCCMCLUHBL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000012935 Averaging Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910004613 CdTe Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910001218 Gallium arsenide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- UHYPYGJEEGLRJD-UHFFFAOYSA-N cadmium(2+);selenium(2-) Chemical compound [Se-2].[Cd+2] UHYPYGJEEGLRJD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002301 combined effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003989 dielectric material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010017 direct printing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000609 electron-beam lithography Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010408 film Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052733 gallium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N gold Chemical compound [Au] PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- AMGQUBHHOARCQH-UHFFFAOYSA-N indium;oxotin Chemical compound [In].[Sn]=O AMGQUBHHOARCQH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000002329 infrared spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000031700 light absorption Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910021426 porous silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002096 quantum dot Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002310 reflectometry Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009877 rendering Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011856 silicon-based particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002356 single layer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004544 sputter deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002230 thermal chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002207 thermal evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007736 thin film deposition technique Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002211 ultraviolet spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B1/00—Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements
- G02B1/10—Optical coatings produced by application to, or surface treatment of, optical elements
- G02B1/11—Anti-reflection coatings
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B1/00—Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements
- G02B1/10—Optical coatings produced by application to, or surface treatment of, optical elements
- G02B1/11—Anti-reflection coatings
- G02B1/111—Anti-reflection coatings using layers comprising organic materials
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B1/00—Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements
- G02B1/10—Optical coatings produced by application to, or surface treatment of, optical elements
- G02B1/11—Anti-reflection coatings
- G02B1/113—Anti-reflection coatings using inorganic layer materials only
- G02B1/115—Multilayers
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B1/00—Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements
- G02B1/10—Optical coatings produced by application to, or surface treatment of, optical elements
- G02B1/11—Anti-reflection coatings
- G02B1/118—Anti-reflection coatings having sub-optical wavelength surface structures designed to provide an enhanced transmittance, e.g. moth-eye structures
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/02—Details
- H01L31/0216—Coatings
- H01L31/02161—Coatings for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier
- H01L31/02167—Coatings for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells
- H01L31/02168—Coatings for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L33/00—Semiconductor devices having potential barriers specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L33/44—Semiconductor devices having potential barriers specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by the coatings, e.g. passivation layer or anti-reflective coating
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- B82Y20/00—Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
- H01L2924/10—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices to be connected
- H01L2924/11—Device type
- H01L2924/12—Passive devices, e.g. 2 terminal devices
- H01L2924/1204—Optical Diode
- H01L2924/12041—LED
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
Definitions
- the invention relates to a nanoparticle
- AR coatings are well known optical coatings used in optical devices or elements in order to reduce reflection of light.
- the use of such AR coatings cover a wide range of important optical applications including AR coatings for optical elements, e.g. lenses, and opto ⁇ electronic devices, e.g. solar cells, light emitting diodes, lasers, and displays.
- Conventional AR coatings are based on interference effects in one or more dielectric layers of a specific thickness and refractive index.
- a single layer AR coating is inherently unable to reduce reflection over a broad range of wavelengths. This is particularly important in solar cells that convert the broad spectral range emitted by the sun to electricity.
- conventional AR coatings suffer from undesired angle dependences.
- multilayer graded-index AR coatings are used.
- Chhajed et al. describe in their article "Nanostructured multilayer graded- index antireflection coating for Si solar cells with broadband and omnidirectional characteristics" (Applied Physics Letters 93, 251108 (2008)) the use of multilayer graded-index AR coatings comprising a low refractive index nanostructured porous silicon dioxide top layer.
- Other ways of achieving graded index antireflection coatings are described in
- Such broadband graded index multilayer antireflection coatings however require tight control of process parameters, e.g. the layer thicknesses and layer compositions, and are thus not suitable for
- US2008/0171192 suggests the use of a nanoparticle array of relatively small size and pitch for use as an AR layer in the visible range (400-800 nm) .
- extreme broadband AR coatings are desired which provide optimal transmission of the whole solar spectrum, including UV, visible, near infrared and infrared radiation.
- the invention may relate to a thin-film broadband antireflection layer for use with an optical element or an optoelectronic device, wherein said antireflection layer comprises: at least one thin-film dielectric layer; and, at least one array of nanoparticles disposed onto or in said thin-film dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric constants of said nano-particles is substantially distinct from the dielectric constant of said dielectric layer.
- nanoparticle antireflection layer provides improved
- antireflective properties over a broad range of wavelengths, including the UV and IR spectrum range.
- the thickness of the first layer is the thickness of the first layer
- the size of the nanoparticles in the nanoparticle array and the pitch of the nanoparticle array is selected such that transmittance of photons associated with the solar spectrum between 300 and 1100 nm is more than 80%, preferably more than 85%.
- said thin-film dielectric layer may comprise silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, tetra- ethylorthosilicate (TEOS) , a organic resin, a polymer, a semiconducting layer and/or combinations thereof.
- TEOS tetra- ethylorthosilicate
- said thin-film dielectric may have a thickness approximately between 10 and 300 nm, preferably between 50 and 100 nm.
- the average dimensions of said nanoparticles may be selected between approximately 50 and 300 nm and wherein the average distance between said particles is selected between 200 and 700 nm.
- nanoparticles may be metal nanoparticles.
- said metal may be selected from the group of Au, Ag, Cu, Al and/or alloys thereof.
- At least part of said nanoparticles may be semiconducting nanoparticles.
- said semiconducting material may be selected from the group IV semiconductors, the III-V or II-VI semiconducting compounds and/or combinations thereof.
- At least part of said nanoparticles may be metaloxide nanoparticles.
- said metaloxide may relate to high-refractive index oxides selected from the group of A1203, Ta205, Ti305, Ti02, Zi02, Nb205, Ce02 and Si3N4.
- At least part of said nanoparticles has a substantially spheroidal shape; in another embodiment at least part of said nanoparticles are substantially
- the invention may relate to a multilayer structure comprising at least one antireflection layer according to any of the embodiments and/or variants as described above.
- the invention may relate to an optical element, preferably an optical lens or a display screen, comprising an antireflection layer according to any of the embodiments and/or variants as described above or to an optoelectronic device, preferably a light-receiving or a light-emitting device, comprising an antireflection layer according to any of the embodiments and/or variants as
- said antireflection layer is deposited onto a thin-film light absorbing or light-emitting layer associated with an optoelectronic device.
- the invention relates to the use of an array of dielectric nanoparticles, preferably metallic nanoparticles, as at least part of an antireflective coating.
- the average dimensions of said used nanoparticles may be selected between approximately 100 and 300 nm and wherein the average distance between said particles is selected between 200 and 700 nm.
- At least part of said used nanoparticles may be metal nanoparticles, preferably said metal being selected from the group of Au, Ag, Cu, Al and/or alloys thereof; and/or, wherein at least part of said used nanoparticles may be semiconducting nanoparticles, preferably said semiconducting material being selected from the group IV semiconductors, the III-V or II-VI semiconducting compounds and/or combinations thereof; and/or wherein at least part of said used
- nanoparticles may be metaloxide nanoparticles, preferably high-refractive index oxides selected from the group of Ta205, Ti305, Ti02, Zi02, Nb205, Ce02 and Si3N4.
- Fig. 1 illustrates the transmittance of light into a silicon substrate covered with a nanoparticle AR coating according to one embodiment of the invention.
- Fig. 2 depicts the enhancement factor as a function of the Ag nanoparticle height and the thickness of the Si3N4 spacer layer for a nanoparticle AR coating according to one embodiment of the invention.
- Fig. 3 depicts the enhancement factor as a function of (a) the particle height and (b) thin-film dielectric layer for various other embodiments of the invention.
- Fig. 4A and 4B depict the enhancement factor as a function of various parameters associated with the
- nanoparticle AR coating according to various embodiments of the invention.
- Fig. 5 depicts the enhancement factor as a function of the shape of the nanoparticles .
- Fig. 6 depicts the transmittance of light into a silicon substrate covered with a nanoparticle AR coating according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
- Fig. 7 depicts the combined antireflection effect of a dielectric layer and a nanoparticle layer according to one embodiment of the invention.
- Fig. 8 depicts the combined antireflection effect of a dielectric layer and a nanoparticle layer according to another embodiment of the invention.
- the present invention uses an array of nanoparticles provided onto the surface or embedded into the surface of a thin-film dielectric.
- the present invention uses the scattering properties of light, which depend on the optical constants of the nanoparticles, the optical constants of the surrounding dielectric and the optical constants of the substrate. Light is preferentially scattered by the
- a further advantage of this invention for applications for example in solar cells is that the scattered light acquires an angular spread in the substrate, which can lead to more effectively absorption of light in the solar cell. This is a particularly important advantage for thin-film solar cells.
- Fig. 1 illustrates the transmittance of light through a nano-particle AR coating according to one embodiment of the invention.
- the example used in Fig. 1 relates to a crystalline Silicon (c-Si) substrate 102 comprising a 50 nm thin-film Si3N4 dielectric layer 104 on which an array of Ag nano-particles 106 is deposited.
- the particle dimensions are approximately 200 nm wide by 175 nm high and array pitch in this example is approximately 450 nm.
- the transmittance light into the substrate of the nanoparticle AR coating is compared with the transmittance of a bare Silicon substrate and a Silicon substrate (n ⁇ 3,92) covered with a conventional 80 nm thick Si3N4 AR coating (n ⁇ 2.05) .
- the spectral range in Fig. 1 corresponds to the wavelength range at which sunlight is typically absorbed in a solar cell. While a bare c-Si substrate has a transmittance ranging from 0.4 - 0.65, the nanoparticle coated c-Si substrate shows much higher
- Fig. 2 depicts the total enhancement (i.e. a spectrum such as in Fig. 1 integrated over the whole AMI .5 solar spectrum from 300 to 1100 nm) of light transmitted into the Silicon substrate due to the presence of a nanoparticle AR coating as a function of the particle height.
- silver nanoparticles are placed on a 50 nm thick Si3N4 (spacer) layer and the silver particles have an ellipsoidal shape. Data for a bare Silicon substrate and a Silicon substrate covered with a 80 nm thick Si3N4 AR coating are provided as a reference.
- Fig. 2(a) and (b) depict the enhancement factor for different particle parameters. These figures show that the nanoparticle thin-film AR coating allows improved AR
- Fig. 2(a) particle height
- Fig. 2(b) spacer layer thickness
- Si3N4 spacer layers of thicknesses between 30 and 70 nm, preferably between 35 and 65 nm, more preferably between 40 and 60 nm.
- Fig. 3(a) and (b) depict the enhancement factor for a particle thin-film AR coating according to another embodiment of the invention.
- Fig 3(a) depicts an embodiment wherein the enhancement factor is measured for a nanoparticle AR coating on top of amorphous Silicon (a-Si) as a function of particle height.
- the nanoparticle AR coating comprises cylindrical Ag particles of approximately 200 nm width and an array pitch of approximately 450 nm placed on a 50 nm thick Si3N4 thin-film dielectric.
- the enhancement factor for cylindrical particles is similar to spheroidal particles as described with reference to Fig. 2. This may be explained by to the fact that for these particular parameters the light coupling is particularly enhanced at the part of the spectrum where a-Si absorbs light better than c-Si.
- Fig. 3(b) depicts an embodiment wherein the
- enhancement factor is measured for a nanoparticle AR coating as a function of the thin-film dielectric layer, in this case a thin-film Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) layer, i.e. a transparent conducting layer (TCO) , on top of an a-Si substrate.
- ITO Indium Tin Oxide
- TCO transparent conducting layer
- Ag spheroids of 200 nm width and 125 nm height and an array pitch of approximately 450 nm were used.
- nanoparticle AR coating may be advantageously used in a photovoltaic cell based on a-Si. From this figure it follows that a substantial enhancement factor is present over a wide range of ITO thicknesses, in this case between approximately 20 and 60 nm, preferably between 30 nm and 55 nm, more
- the present invention is based on the insight that such nanoparticles may be used as strong light scatters.
- nanoparticles e.g. Ag or Au nanoparticles of sufficiently large size
- Such particles may thus be used as effective light scatters requiring a relatively small surface coverage.
- such optimized coverage may be in the order of approximately 10-20% of the surface area.
- Fig. 4A illustrates the
- the (maximum) enhancement factor associated with a conventional 80 nm thick Si3N4 AR coating and the enhancement factor for a bare c-Si substrate are added as a reference.
- the enhancement is calculated by performing a weighted average of the enhancement over the solar spectrum, limited to wavelengths below the band gap of c-Si.
- a nanoparticle array comprising nanoparticles having a particle width within the range between 160 and 280 nm and/or a particle height between 130 and 220 nm. Further, Fig. 4A indicates a strong dependence of the enhancement factor on the array pitch within the range between 300 and 600 nm effectively enhances
- pitches larger than 300 nm in particular pitches in the range between 350 and 500 nm, preferably between 400 and 500 nm a strong increase of the enhancement factor is determined.
- Maximum enhancement of approximately 1,35 is achieved of particles of approximately 200 by 175 nm arranged in an array having a pitch of
- Fig. 4A it may be generally understood that if the particles (i.e. the particle widths or heights) are too small, the fraction of light interacting with the particle that scatters into the substrate is high, but the scattering efficiency is very low and the absorption in the particles may be relatively high. If, on the contrary,
- the scattering efficiency is large, but only a relatively small part of the scattered light goes into the substrate.
- the particle height similar reasons may apply as with the particle width.
- the pitch is low, the surface coverage will become high and the particle layer effectively becomes a ( semi ) continuous layer which for example in case of metal nanoparticles may become a metallic reflecting layer or for example in case of dielectric
- nanoparticles may become a dielectric layer producing
- metals e.g. Ag or Al
- the transmittance of light is improved by placing the
- Such spacer layers may e.g. be the thin passivation layer that is already present in a standard semiconductor manufacturing process.
- Fig. 4B shows the reduction in the measured reflection of a crystalline Silicon (c-Si) substrate due to the presence of silver nanoparticles placed on top of a Si3N4 layer, for various nanoparticle array geometries and different spacer layer thicknesses.
- the reflection coefficient associate with a 67 nm thick Si3N4 coating is also shown for reference (dashed line) .
- the reflection coefficients shown in this figure are calculated by averaging the measured reflectivity over the solar spectrum, for wavelengths up to the band gap of c-Si.
- the graph shows that selection of both the particle array geometry and the Si3N4 spacer layer may be used to minimize reflection, due to the strong coupling between the particles and Si3N4 spacer layer properties.
- Fig. 4B shows that
- reflection is reduced when the particle width is selected from a range between 120 and 240 nm, preferably between 130 nm and 230 nm. Reflection may also be reduced by selecting an array pitch in the range between 350 and 550 nm, preferably 400 nm and 550 nm.
- Fig. 4B also mentions the following abbreviations: Reflection is reduced when the particle width is selected from a range between 120 and 240 nm, preferably between 130 nm and 230 nm. Reflection may also be reduced by selecting an array pitch in the range between 350 and 550 nm, preferably 400 nm and 550 nm.
- Fig. 4B also
- the Si3N4 spacer thickness in the range between 50 and 90 nm, preferably between 55 and 80 nm, a significant reduction in the reflection is obtained.
- the nanoparticle AR coating according to the invention is not limited to the materials as described with reference to Fig. 1-4B and may be applied in various combinations without departing from the invention. These variants and the advantages associated with the invention will be discussed hereunder in more detail.
- Fig. 5 illustrates the influence of shape of the nanoparticles used in the nanoparticle AR coating.
- Fig. 6 depicts yet another embodiment wherein semiconducting nanoparticles are used in the nanoparticle AR coating.
- an array of spheroidal Si nanoparticles is disposed on a c-Si substrate.
- the array of nanoparticles of approximately 160 nm width and 50 nm height has an array pitch of approximately 200 nm.
- a Si nanoparticle AR coating provides the same enhancement as a conventional Si3N4 coating of 80 nm for the red part of the solar spectrum, but enhances coupling of light into the substrate in the blue part above 370 nm.
- non-metallic nanoparticles with a high dielectric constant such as semiconducting nanoparticles, e.g. Si, or insulating nanoparticles, e.g. nanoparticles from high refractive metal oxides such as A1203, Ta205, Ti305, Ti02, Zi02, Nb205, Ce02 and Si3N4 may be used as strong light scatters for use in a nanoparticle AR coating according to the invention.
- the Si nanoparticles are embedded in the thin-film dielectric layer thereby providing the advantage that the Si nanoparticles are prevented from being oxidized.
- the thin-film dielectric layer thus additionally functions as a passivation layer for the nanoparticles. Moreover, such thin-film
- Fig. 7 depicts the combined antireflection effect of a dielectric layer and a nanoparticle layer according to one embodiment of the invention. In particular, it depicts the transmittance spectrum for a bare Si substrate (solid line), a Silicon substrate comprising a 50 nm thick Si3N4 coating
- a Silicon substrate comprising a nanoparticle AR layer comprising 200 nm wide and 175 nm high spheroidal silver particles arranged in a square array with 450 nm pitch (dotted line) , and a Silicon substrate comprising a 50 nm thick Si3N4 spacer layer and a nanoparticle AR layer
- the dielectric spacer layer especially improves the transmission of light in the UV and visible part of the spectrum
- the nanoparticle AR layer comprising nanoparticles having a dielectric constant substantially distinct from the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer improves transmission in the near IR and IR spectral range. Combination of these AR layers provides significant broadband transmission enhancement over the entire solar spectrum.
- Fig. 8 depicts the combined antireflection effect of a dielectric layer and a nanoparticle layer according to a further embodiment of the invention.
- it depicts the transmittance spectrum for a bare Si substrate (solid line) , a Silicon substrate comprising 45 nm thick Si3N4 coating (dashed line) , a Silicon substrate comprising a nanoparticle coating comprising 250 nm wide and 150 nm high cylindrical silicon particles arranged in a square array with 400 nm pitch (dotted line) , and a Silicon substrate comprising a 45 nm thick Si3N4 spacer layer and a nanoparticle AR layer comprising 250 nm wide and 150 nm high cylindrical silver nanoparticles in a square array with 450 nm pitch arranged on top of the spacer layer (dash-dotted line) .
- This embodiment also illustrates that the broadband enhancement in the transmittance spectrum stems from the combined effect of the nanoparticle layer improving the transmittance in the near IR and IR spectral range and of the dielectric AR layer improving the transmittance in the blue and visible parts of the spectrum wherein the nanoparticles have a dielectric constant which is substantially distinct from the dielectric constant ⁇ of the dielectric layer.
- the dielectric constant of metals are complex, wavelength-dependent functions, e.g. for Ag the real part of ⁇ may vary between -55 (1100 nm) and 2 (300 nm) and the
- imaginary part of ⁇ may vary between 0.5 and 3.5 and for Au the real part of ⁇ may vary between -60 (1100 nm) and 0 (300 nm) and the imaginary part of ⁇ may vary between 1 and 7.
- metal nanoparticles as described with reference to Fig. 1-5 may be embedded in the thin-film dielectric layer.
- Ag nanoparticles of 200 nm width and 125 nm height and an array pitch of 450 nm may be embedded in a 225 nm thick Si3N4 dielectric. That way, the Ag nanoparticles are prevented from being oxidized.
- typical substrates which may be coated with a nanoparticle AR coating according to the invention may
- substrates include semiconducting substrates used in optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaic devices, including amorphous or a (poly) crystalline semiconductor substrates, wherein the semiconductor may be selected from the group consisting of silicon, GaAs and related III-V compounds, CdTe, Cu(In,Ga) (Se,S) CdSe, PbS, PbSe, engineered materials e.g. a quantum dot superlattice or any other semiconductor materials.
- optoelectrionic devices are also foreseen.
- the nanoparticle AR coating may be part of a multilayered structure comprising e.g. one or more passivation layers deposited on top of the nanoparticles .
- Such passivation layer may for example comprise a UV curable resin well known in the art.
- an array of nanoparticles may both include two-dimensional arrangements with a predetermined pitch and random arrangements of
- the effective surface coverage (% per unit of area) may be used as one of the parameters defining the nanoparticle AR coating.
- the nanoparticle AR coating may be fabricated using various known lithography techniques such as UV, X-ray, e-beam lithography and other related techniques in combination with known thin-film deposition methods such as for example
- an adapted screen-print or inkjet printing technique may be used which allowing direct printing of nano- sized metal structures (see e.g. Zhao et al., “Self-aligned inkjet printing of highly conducting gold electrodes with submicron resolution”, Journal of Applied Physics 101, 064513, 2007) .
- One particular useful technique for large area application is the imprint lithography technique.
- an imprint template corresponding to the pattern of a predetermined nanoparticle array with typical dimensions as described in relation with Fig. 1-8 is made.
- the structure of the imprint template is transferred to a curable resin layer, which is disposed over the semiconductor layer of the
- the patterned resist layer is etched in order to expose the surface of the
- Deposition of a metal layer over the imprinted resist pattern, followed by a lift-off finalizes the realization of the contact structure.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- Sustainable Energy (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
- Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP11714731.4A EP2556541B1 (en) | 2010-04-06 | 2011-04-06 | Nanoparticle antireflection layer |
US13/638,937 US20130194669A1 (en) | 2010-04-06 | 2011-04-06 | Nanoparticle antireflection layer |
CN201180024566.2A CN103081111B (en) | 2010-04-06 | 2011-04-06 | Nanoparticle antireflection layer |
KR1020127028478A KR20130038851A (en) | 2010-04-06 | 2011-04-06 | Nanoparticle antireflection layer |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP10159174A EP2375452A1 (en) | 2010-04-06 | 2010-04-06 | Nanoparticle antireflection layer |
EP10159174.1 | 2010-04-06 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2011124594A1 true WO2011124594A1 (en) | 2011-10-13 |
Family
ID=42320624
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2011/055323 WO2011124594A1 (en) | 2010-04-06 | 2011-04-06 | Nanoparticle antireflection layer |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20130194669A1 (en) |
EP (2) | EP2375452A1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20130038851A (en) |
CN (1) | CN103081111B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2011124594A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN110799198A (en) * | 2016-11-30 | 2020-02-14 | 普罗生物瑞士股份公司 | Urogenital medical device formulation based on suitable biochemical compositions for stabilizing the acidity and redox state of vaginal fluids |
Families Citing this family (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2014000651A1 (en) * | 2012-06-29 | 2014-01-03 | 法国圣戈班玻璃公司 | Optical assembly, manufacturing method therefor, and photovoltaic device |
KR102243475B1 (en) | 2012-11-30 | 2021-04-23 | 코닝 인코포레이티드 | Reduced reflection glass articles and methods for making and using same |
JP6229387B2 (en) * | 2013-09-12 | 2017-11-15 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Optical member and manufacturing method thereof |
CN104834026A (en) * | 2015-06-09 | 2015-08-12 | 江西师范大学 | Broadband light transparent continuous metal film structure and implementation method thereof |
US10840051B2 (en) * | 2015-09-22 | 2020-11-17 | Lightlab Sweden Ab | Extraction structure for a UV lamp |
FI129889B (en) | 2015-10-09 | 2022-10-31 | Inkron Ltd | Dielectric siloxane particle films and devices having the same |
KR101629727B1 (en) | 2016-01-19 | 2016-06-13 | (주)보영테크 | Clamp Type Dust Removal Device for Cylindrical Parts of Semiconductor production Equipment |
US11287551B2 (en) | 2016-09-05 | 2022-03-29 | Agency For Science, Technology And Research | Method of forming nano-patterns on a substrate |
CN106449838A (en) * | 2016-11-22 | 2017-02-22 | 瑞德兴阳新能源技术有限公司 | Concentrating photovoltaic anti-reflection secondary prism and film coating method thereof |
CN110739363A (en) * | 2018-07-18 | 2020-01-31 | 李武 | solar power generation road surface assembly |
EP3977564A4 (en) * | 2019-05-24 | 2023-06-14 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Radar reflective article with permittivity gradient |
NL2023498B1 (en) | 2019-07-12 | 2021-02-04 | Physee Group B V | Optical structures comprising luminescent materials for plant growth optimization |
CN110426771A (en) * | 2019-07-12 | 2019-11-08 | 昆山工研院新型平板显示技术中心有限公司 | The manufacturing method of polaroid, display panel and polaroid |
AU2021261321A1 (en) * | 2020-04-21 | 2022-12-08 | Jade Bird Display (shanghai) Limited | Light-emitting diode chip structures with reflective elements |
AU2021259592A1 (en) | 2020-04-21 | 2022-12-08 | Jade Bird Display (shanghai) Limited | Light-emitting diode chip structures with reflective elements |
EP4162538A1 (en) | 2020-06-03 | 2023-04-12 | Jade Bird Display (Shanghai) Limited | Systems and methods for multi-color led pixel unit with horizontal light emission |
EP4016141A1 (en) | 2020-12-15 | 2022-06-22 | Fundació Institut de Ciències Fotòniques | Antireflective multilayer article with nanostructures |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060007791A1 (en) * | 2002-12-20 | 2006-01-12 | Bamdad Cynthia C | Optical devices and methods involving nanoparticles |
US7170666B2 (en) | 2004-07-27 | 2007-01-30 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Nanostructure antireflection surfaces |
US20080011934A1 (en) | 2006-06-30 | 2008-01-17 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Imprint lithography |
US20080171192A1 (en) | 2007-01-17 | 2008-07-17 | Olar International, Llc. | Nanostructured antireflective optical coating |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5077587A (en) * | 1990-10-09 | 1991-12-31 | Eastman Kodak Company | Light-emitting diode with anti-reflection layer optimization |
US6497957B1 (en) * | 2000-10-04 | 2002-12-24 | Eastman Kodak Company | Antireflection article of manufacture |
EP1463073A1 (en) * | 2003-03-24 | 2004-09-29 | Sony International (Europe) GmbH | Porous film having a gradient of light scattering strength |
-
2010
- 2010-04-06 EP EP10159174A patent/EP2375452A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2011
- 2011-04-06 EP EP11714731.4A patent/EP2556541B1/en not_active Not-in-force
- 2011-04-06 CN CN201180024566.2A patent/CN103081111B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2011-04-06 US US13/638,937 patent/US20130194669A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2011-04-06 WO PCT/EP2011/055323 patent/WO2011124594A1/en active Application Filing
- 2011-04-06 KR KR1020127028478A patent/KR20130038851A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060007791A1 (en) * | 2002-12-20 | 2006-01-12 | Bamdad Cynthia C | Optical devices and methods involving nanoparticles |
US7170666B2 (en) | 2004-07-27 | 2007-01-30 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Nanostructure antireflection surfaces |
US20080011934A1 (en) | 2006-06-30 | 2008-01-17 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Imprint lithography |
US20080171192A1 (en) | 2007-01-17 | 2008-07-17 | Olar International, Llc. | Nanostructured antireflective optical coating |
Non-Patent Citations (4)
Title |
---|
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, vol. 93, 2008, pages 251108 |
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, vol. 101, 2007, pages 064513 |
PILLAI S ET AL: "Surface plasmon enhanced silicon solar cells", JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS. NEW YORK, US LNKD- DOI:10.1063/1.2734885, vol. 101, no. 9, 7 May 2007 (2007-05-07), pages 93105 - 093105, XP012098459, ISSN: 0021-8979 * |
YI LOU ET AL: "Fabrication of Nanoshell Arrays Using Directed Assembly of Nanospheres", IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, IEEE SERVICE CENTER, NEW YORK, NY, US LNKD- DOI:10.1109/JSEN.2009.2038586, vol. 10, no. 3, 1 March 2010 (2010-03-01), pages 617 - 620, XP011290001, ISSN: 1530-437X * |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN110799198A (en) * | 2016-11-30 | 2020-02-14 | 普罗生物瑞士股份公司 | Urogenital medical device formulation based on suitable biochemical compositions for stabilizing the acidity and redox state of vaginal fluids |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2556541A1 (en) | 2013-02-13 |
EP2375452A1 (en) | 2011-10-12 |
CN103081111B (en) | 2016-08-24 |
KR20130038851A (en) | 2013-04-18 |
US20130194669A1 (en) | 2013-08-01 |
CN103081111A (en) | 2013-05-01 |
EP2556541B1 (en) | 2018-05-23 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
EP2556541B1 (en) | Nanoparticle antireflection layer | |
Morawiec et al. | Plasmonic nanostructures for light trapping in thin-film solar cells | |
AU2010202874B2 (en) | Nanostructured functional coatings and devices | |
US9139917B2 (en) | Transparent conductive porous nanocomposites and methods of fabrication thereof | |
JP5518835B2 (en) | Solar cell with surface plasmon resonance generated nanostructure | |
US20180122962A1 (en) | Diffuse omni-directional back reflectors and methods of manufacturing the same | |
Makableh et al. | Enhancement of GaAs solar cell performance by using a ZnO sol–gel anti-reflection coating | |
KR101575733B1 (en) | wavelength converting structure for near-infrared rays and solar cell comprising the same | |
WO2008008516A2 (en) | Forward scattering nanoparticle enhancement method and photo detector device | |
KR20140116119A (en) | Radiation-emitting organic component | |
CA2899045A1 (en) | Photovoltaic devices with plasmonic nanoparticles | |
Schmid et al. | Nanoparticles for light management in ultrathin chalcopyrite solar cells | |
Venugopal et al. | Plasmonics effect of Ag nanoislands covered n-Al: ZnO/p-Si heterostructure | |
Chen et al. | Design of novel TiO 2–SiO 2 core–shell helical nanostructured anti-reflective coatings on Cu (In, Ga) Se 2 solar cells with enhanced power conversion efficiency | |
Qian et al. | A broadband and polarization-independent metasurface perfect absorber for hot-electron photoconversion | |
TWI594450B (en) | Thin film solar cell light integration method and its structure | |
US10475940B2 (en) | Packaging glass with hierarchically nanostructured surface | |
KR101205451B1 (en) | Optical device package and method for fabricating the same | |
Beye et al. | The effect of the SiN optical constants on the performances of a new antireflection coating concept | |
Rajendran et al. | Properties of Indium Tin Oxide Films Grown on Microtextured Glass Substrates | |
Hwang et al. | Enhanced photo-sensitivity through an increased light-trapping on Si by surface nano-structuring using MWCNT etch mask | |
Radder | A Comparative analysis of nanoparticle type variants for Plasmonic light trapping enhancement in thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells | |
Yu et al. | Semiconductor nanostructures towards optoelectronic device applications | |
KR20200116706A (en) | Optoelectronic devices and preparing method thereof | |
Temple et al. | Plasmonic and biomimetic light-trapping for photovoltaics |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 201180024566.2 Country of ref document: CN |
|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application |
Ref document number: 11714731 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 2011714731 Country of ref document: EP |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: DE |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 8868/DELNP/2012 Country of ref document: IN |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 20127028478 Country of ref document: KR Kind code of ref document: A |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 13638937 Country of ref document: US |